Commercial aviation- limits on Li ion batteries- starts 1 Jan

Cap'n Jack

Cap'n Jack

Final Approach
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Cap'n Jack
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Press release on the DOT web page (I added the bold text)

New US DOT Hazmat Safety Rule to Place Lithium Battery Limits in Carry-on Baggage on Passenger Aircraft Effective January 1, 2008
Passengers will no longer be able to pack loose lithium batteries in checked luggage beginning January 1, 2008 once new federal safety rules take effect. The new regulation, designed to reduce the risk of lithium battery fires, will continue to allow lithium batteries in checked baggage if they are installed in electronic devices, or in carry-on baggage if stored in plastic bags.
Common consumer electronics such as travel cameras, cell phones, and most laptop computers are still allowed in carry-on and checked luggage. However, the rule limits individuals to bringing only two extended-life spare rechargeable lithium batteries (see attached illustration), such as laptop and professional audio/video/camera equipment lithium batteries in carry-on baggage.
"Doing something as simple as keeping a spare battery in its original retail packaging or a plastic zip-lock bag will prevent unintentional short-circuiting and fires," said Krista Edwards, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Actual link:
http://phmsa.dot.gov/portal/site/PH...toid=24e4ffc638ef6110VgnVCM1000001ecb7898RCRD


I bet the TSA can't different between types of batteries. I often carry 6 spare NiMH AA batteries for a digital camera & GPS. We'll see how this plays out...
 
I'm getting that warm and fuzzy feeling inside me knowing that I was in absolute, complete danger flying before January 1, 2008. Never know when those Lithium batteries will start exploding in the air!

What a joke. I could probably make my contact lenses explode before my watch battery. Sigh... :redface:
 
Now how many stories are we going to get about pax pulled out of the line and strip-searched, ultimately missing the flight, because they had alkaline batteries and the TSA didn't know the difference? And you surely can't tell the difference as they shove your bags through the x-ray machine. -Skip
 
^^^^^^
Skip- that's exactly my concern. Also making the lines long again as the TSA has pax throw away batteries or yelling at people because their batteries aren't in a zip-lok bag.
 
Asinine. The TSA tried AGAIN the other day to take the mag light out of my flight bag and refuse to let me take it on as a carry-on in my flight case. Two things wrong with that

A) I was in uniform with proper ID and
B) It's required equipment on or about my person for part 121 operations.

Of course it took three supervisors looking through my company's ops manual and the FAR/FC before they'd give me the damn thing back. Of course by that point, both the CA and I were late getting to the airplane and subsequently missed our EDCT time.

I can't wait until they delay a flight thanks to this stupid, impractical, over-reaching rule...see how well that goes over.
 
And I bet your light didn't even HAVE lithium batteries, did it?
Or was it because it was big enough to use as a club? (two D-cells)?

What reason do they give for trying to take it out?
 
TMetzinger said:
And I bet your light didn't even HAVE lithium batteries, did it?
Or was it because it was big enough to use as a club? (two D-cells)?

What reason do they give for trying to take it out?
Click to expand...

This was the third time it's happened, and they've all been long before most TSA agents could even spell lithium, let alone tell you that it's a type of battery. It's because it's the 2 D-cell size, and they thought it was unnecessarily big, and that I must be taking it on the airplane as a weapon to take over the plane that I was flying. Or something.
 
Yeah, I started having that kind of problem with my larger maglight and the fuel-sampler screwdriver I kept in my flight bag (never mind the leatherman!), so now I end up checking the big flashlight, leatherman, and a few other items, but I refuse to check the flight bag - there's just too much irreplaceable stuff in it. Got a couple of smaller flashlights packed in there and if I lose the big one I'll survive. Of course since when I'm flying with that stuff it's always one way to or from a ferry job so I get extra screening anyway - they love to pull out the headset, GPS, manuals, calculators, pulse oximeter, etc. Then they ask why I have it, and I get to show them my pilot certificate. Every now and then it gets escalated to the point where I show them the ferry contract, and at that point I ask for a supervisor and a sworn officer, which usually expedites the process and gets me on my way. It'll be interesting to see what they do with the plastic carrier I got from sporty's that holds 8 AAs, 2 9Vs, and 4 C cells (all of which are NiMH rechargables).
 
TMetzinger said:
It'll be interesting to see what they do with the plastic carrier I got from sporty's that holds 8 AAs, 2 9Vs, and 4 C cells (all of which are NiMH rechargables).
Click to expand...

I got $20 says it'll end with either a bomb sniffing dog or a large metal canister and a boom.
 
maybe not - it's a skeleton container so you can clearly see that there are batteries in it. Dogs are welcome.
 
as of 6am at Tampa airport no Tsa checks of batteries. They did however reject my DHSissued Coast Guard Id. I had a talk with the supervisor and he corrected the person checking I'd's. They are still being idiots in 2008.
 
smigaldi said:
as of 6am at Tampa airport no Tsa checks of batteries. They did however reject my DHSissued Coast Guard Id. I had a talk with the supervisor and he corrected the person checking I'd's. They are still being idiots in 2008.
Click to expand...

We'll see what happens at SEA tomorrow morning. Spare battery for my DSLR in its own pocket in the camera backpack.
 
Teller1900 said:
It's because it's the 2 D-cell size, and they thought it was unnecessarily big, and that I must be taking it on the airplane as a weapon to take over the plane that I was flying. Or something.
Click to expand...


Well, we can't let the pilots control the airplane, thats what ATC is for.:rofl:
 
PIREP- TSA & batteries

I went to Las Vegas & back to Omaha for a sales meeting with my usual collection of AA & AAA batteries. No problems. The spare batteries were in the usual place in my carry-on. The electronics I bring also had batteries installed. I also had LiIon in my laptop, cell phone, and pocket PC- no hassles as they were installed in the device. They did nothing they didn't do before 1 January. No extra hassle.
 
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...plodes-in-checked-bag-20111101,0,959818.story

A United Airlines employee suffered minor injures after a battery shipped in a bag exploded at O'Hare International Airport, officials said.

The employee was taken to Resurrection Medical Center in fair-to-serious condition but officials said the employee sustained, "minor injuries", according to a Chicago Fire Department spokesman.
The explosion occurred as the employee was moving the bag and it burst open a little before 11 a.m., hurting the man's arm, fire officials said.
"The item was a sealed lead battery, which is permitted in checked baggage," the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement. "It was screened appropriately at its point of departure..."
Click to expand...


Hope we don't see any battery banning as a result.
 
I'm more concerned about Li-Ion batteries than I am about the TSA missing some terrorist, mainly because the TSA sucks are catching terrorists.

Li-Ions are a legitimate issue. If one of them goes off, it maybe be impossible to extinguish the fire. It's looking like the UPS 747 that went in in DXB might have met its fate due to Li-Ion batteries.
 
my dream: thread border color changes to black, indicating a necropost.
 
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